Let rip: Kevin Rudd said he would not apologise for making the comments

It was a response that some voters might secretly wish our own Prime Minister employ against MPs over their allowances.

Feisty Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has refused to apologise after letting go with a hail of verbal abuse alleged to have been peppered with frequent variants of the f-word.

Mr Rudd admitted unleashing the tirade against a group of Labor MPs, which included three women, in his parliamentary office two weeks ago, according to national newspaper The Australian.

They were given the dressing down after apparently showing displeasure about his move to cut their printing allowances.

According to one report, the Prime Minister 'exploded' allegedly saying, 'I don't care what you f*****s think'.

He then directed his fury at one of the eight who was apparently told: 'You can get f****d' and 'Don't you f*****g understand?'

Speaking in New York Mr Rudd said: 'I think it's fair to say that in the consistent tradition of the Australian Labor Party, we're given to robust conversations.

'I made my point of view absolutely clear, and that is that these entitlements needed to be cut back, and I make no apology for either the content of my conversation, or the robustness with which I expressed my views.'

The outburst was prompted by a report which made critical comments of the MPs' allowances.

A delegation of Labor politicians were concerned that slashing them would hint at misuse even though there was no documented evidence.

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith backed up Mr Rudd, saying: 'There's as much chance of the Prime Minister swearing as you or I have sworn from time to time in the past.

'I wouldn't worry too much about that - all of us engage regrettably in that sort of language from time to time.'

Mr Rudd found himself under fire for his temper after he expressed his anger to a flight attendant about the in-flight food service on his private jet earlier this year.